1. Technical Field
The prevent invention provides an improvement to a steamer and, more particularly, to an improved steamer in which each of stacked pot units is supplied with steam via an individual steam duct to homogeneously and individually heat up food in the individual pot unit, thereby preventing the steam from becoming extensively built-up merely in the lowest level and properly and individually directing the steam to each level of the pot unit to heat up the food to the intended temperature. In addition, mixing of odors from different food in different pot units can be also prevented.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, there are a variety of steamers in shape as well as configuration. Typically, three or four levels of pot units made from aluminum material are stacked together to configure the steamer. In general, the bottom of each pot unit is defined with a plurality of ventilation holes, and a vessel or container is located at the lowest level on which those pot units are seated. Once the water contained in the vessel is heated to boil, the steam generated therefrom will vent through each of the pot units through those ventilation holes from bottom to top levels. Accordingly, food placed in each level is therefore heated by the steam vented therethrough.
The conventional steamer can reach its intended purposes of heating up the food, and it is apparent that the route the steam vents through is from the lowest level, i.e. the vessel, to the highest level gradually, venting through the ventilation holes one level after the other level. It can be readily noticed that the food in the lowest level can be readily heated as they are in contact with the steam firstly. However, the food placed in the lowest level can be easily overheated or socked by the steam, rendering a poor appearance or setting of the food. Furthermore, the food placed in different levels will also mix up, because each of the pot unit is in communication with each other through the ventilation holes.
In light of this, the present invention provides a measurement to overcome the problems encountered by the existing steamer. It is intended to direct the steam into the pot unit individually at each level to homogeneously heat up the food placed thereof to effectively prevent a steam built-up at the lowest level. Accordingly, the food placed in each level is heated by the steam introduced therein periodically, to have the food heated to its intended temperature. In addition, since the pot units are isolated from each other, mixing of the odors from different food can be effectively avoided.